When did Frigidaire go bad?

[gelaundry4ever]

Hey guys, when did Frigidaire go bad? I've heard that Frigidaire and Westinghouse were one and the same in 1979, but I'd like more clarification.
Were they really worse than any other brand, even with their dishwashers? What was the performance like? Did they really start the trend in the appliance trend with mergers and acquisitions? I'd like to know.

 

[maytag85]

That’s an easy one, when GM stopped making appliances for Frigidaire.

 

[gelaundry4ever]

That’s an easy one, when GM stopped making appliances for Frigidaire.

What all went wrong? Durability? Performance? Outsourcing? Customer service? Management? I wish I was around to see GM Frigidaire.

 

[cfz2882]

Could say Frigidaire started to go bad once they became a WCI brand about 1980,and The 1-18 washer replaced by Westinghouse and Franklin washers that had smaller tub capacity and certain durability issues along with indexing basket 6-way wash action

 

[peteski50]

Frigidaire went bad after wci pulled out from GM at the end of 1980. They bought Frigidaire in 1979 but kept the appliances outsourced for awhile. It was the worst disaster in appliance history. WCI paid 125 million to flush it down the toilet!
Peter

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

Once again, if you take care of them well enough and can find & maintain parts for, The Classics are Here to Stay!

R.I.P. the Product of General Motors Frigidaire as we know it...



-- Dave

 

[gelaundry4ever]

Frigidaire went bad after wci pulled out from GM at the end of 1980. They bought Frigidaire in 1979 but kept the appliances outsourced for awhile. It was the worst disaster in appliance history. WCI paid 125 million to flush it down the toilet!
Peter

Wow! Even worse than GE or even Whirlpool/Maytag? What the heck? Are you serious?

 

[hvtech42]

Wow! Even worse than GE or even Whirlpool/Maytag? What the heck? Are you serious?

Yes, I don't think it's very controversial to say Frigidaire WCI washers were worse than Whirlpool, Maytag, and GE's offerings of the same time period.

 

[gelaundry4ever]

Yes, I don't think it's very controversial to say Frigidaire WCI washers were worse than Whirlpool, Maytag, and GE's offerings of the same time period.

Wow! Even worse than the model T? What about their dishwashers?

 

[hvtech42]

Wow! Even worse than the model T? What about their dishwashers?

Yeah, I'd say so. The Model T at least washed the clothes well. The WCI machines with the indexing tub, not as much.

Dishwashers... up to the late 80s, would have been the Westinghouse derivative design. After that, they would have been D&M based. Both junk.

 

[gelaundry4ever]

Yeah, I'd say so. The Model T at least washed the clothes well. The WCI machines with the indexing tub, not as much.

Dishwashers... up to the late 80s, would have been the Westinghouse derivative design. After that, they would have been D&M based. Both junk.

What about after that period? What was their style like after the D&M style? Wow! Frigidaire must've been at the bottom of the barrel! What the heck?

 

[gelaundry4ever]

Could say Frigidaire started to go bad once they became a WCI brand about 1980,and The 1-18 washer replaced by Westinghouse and Franklin washers that had smaller tub capacity and certain durability issues along with indexing basket 6-way wash action

Wow! What the heck?

 

[gelaundry4ever]

Frigidaire went bad after wci pulled out from GM at the end of 1980. They bought Frigidaire in 1979 but kept the appliances outsourced for awhile. It was the worst disaster in appliance history. WCI paid 125 million to flush it down the toilet!
Peter

Wow! Even worse than GE? What the heck was that?

 

[cfz2882]

#12, WCI tried to make the earlier westinghouse built washers resemble a 1-18: some even had a window lid and similar control console When the lid was lifted,instead of big capacity basket of a 1-18 there was a smaller more 14LB capacity basket for a washload similar to a filter flo GE. Franklin washers were used for 24" initially,then full size after westinghouse design discontinued after about 1988.

 

[gelaundry4ever]

#12, WCI tried to make the earlier westinghouse built washers resemble a 1-18: some even had a window lid and similar control console When the lid was lifted,instead of big capacity basket of a 1-18 there was a smaller more 14LB capacity basket for a washload similar to a filter flo GE. Franklin washers were used for 24" initially,then full size after westinghouse design discontinued after about 1988.

What about through the 1990s? I'd like to know about their dishwashers too. When did they convert to the brushed motor wash pump?

 

[launderess]

Only after WCI got their mitts on Frigidaire brand name was their any "Westinghouse" association IIRC.

As for Frigidaire of old appliances GM saw handwriting on wall and decided to get out of major appliance business.

At one time many major American auto makers also built major appliances, GM, Ford, AMC, and Chrysler along with others were in on that game. One by one they got out and that was that.

https://www.thedrive.com/news/cold-start-the-rise-and-fall-of-car-companies-building-refrigerators

Basically post WWII major appliance boom began to fade as building boom of those years tapered off. Major appliance divisions were expensive to have and at time when sales were tapering off often not worth bothering.

GM had done all they could with Frigidaire pulsating agitator machines. Plants were worn out and would require retooling, an expensive endeavor to undertake when market conditions were iffy and not predicted to improve.

Once WCI got their mitts on Frigidaire they stopped producing the expensive to build (and some claim difficult to repair) jet action machines with something more standard. It was beginning of end..

 

[gelaundry4ever]

Only after WCI got their mitts on Frigidaire brand name was their any "Westinghouse" association IIRC.

As for Frigidaire of old appliances GM saw handwriting on wall and decided to get out of major appliance business.

At one time many major American auto makers also built major appliances, GM, Ford, AMC, and Chrysler along with others were in on that game. One by one they got out and that was that.

https://www.thedrive.com/news/cold-start-the-rise-and-fall-of-car-companies-building-refrigerators

Basically post WWII major appliance boom began to fade as building boom of those years tapered off. Major appliance divisions were expensive to have and at time when sales were tapering off often not worth bothering.

GM had done all they could with Frigidaire pulsating agitator machines. Plants were worn out and would require retooling, an expensive endeavor to undertake when market conditions were iffy and not predicted to improve.

Once WCI got their mitts on Frigidaire they stopped producing the expensive to build (and some claim difficult to repair) jet action machines with something more standard. It was beginning of end..

I heard that the 1990s were a time for HE washers that Frigidaire started. Then they went to the dishwasher with alternating wash action.

 

[launderess]

Frigidaire h-axis washers were launched after AB Electrolux, Sweden purchased White Consolidated 1986

https://home.ubalt.edu/ntsbpitt/FRIGIDAIRE.PDF

AB Electrolux is (or was?) largest major appliance manufacturer in world. It gobbled up many famous European laundry appliance makers such as Zanussi, Zanker, Rex, AEG and others. Electrolux had been building their own h-axis washing machines since 1950's, so all in all Frigidaire could benefit of not going blind into making h-axis washers like say Maytag.

Frigidaire also profited from various data related to White-Westinghouse's front loaders which would have come with Electrolux purchasing WCI.

 

[gelaundry4ever]

Frigidaire h-axis washers were launched after AB Electrolux, Sweden purchased White Consolidated 1986

https://home.ubalt.edu/ntsbpitt/FRIGIDAIRE.PDF

AB Electrolux is (or was?) largest major appliance manufacturer in world. It gobbled up many famous European laundry appliance makers such as Zanussi, Zanker, Rex, AEG and others. Electrolux had been building their own h-axis washing machines since 1950's, so all in all Frigidaire could benefit of not going blind into making h-axis washers like say Maytag.

Frigidaire also profited from various data related to White-Westinghouse's front loaders which would have come with Electrolux purchasing WCI.

What about their dishwashers that alternate wash arms? Wasn't this also during the Electrolux time period? I heard it was done to adapt European features into the American market through research.

 

[agiflow]

Sorry not to offend our European friends, but adopting manual clean filters is going backwards.... Just my opinion